


Senior Year

by CaliKayeTylers



Series: For Life [3]
Category: the GazettE (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:00:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22577452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaliKayeTylers/pseuds/CaliKayeTylers
Relationships: Reita/Uruha (the GazettE)
Series: For Life [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1584853
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Senior Year

His parents hadn’t even been surprised. 

When they had returned from their weekend away to find their son alone, holed up in his room with salty stains on his cheeks from all the crying he’d done, both his mother and father had taken him downstairs and sat him down in the living room. 

**_“What is it that you couldn’t tell us over the phone Kouyou? What has you so upset?” His mother asked, a hand squeezing his knee._ **

**_Kouyou sniffed, his throat and nose sore from crying so much. “A- Akira and I had a...fight. Kind of. Mostly he just yelled at me, and now he wants nothing to do with me. He told me to never come near him again because I’m a fa-” He cut himself off, shaking his head and ducking his chin against his chest._ **

**_His mother came closer, exchanging a look he didn’t catch with his father. She smoothed a hand over his hair, slipping her smaller hand into his own. “Because you’re a what, baby? What did he call you?”_ **

**_“A- He called me a-” Kouyou couldn’t even hope to get the words out of his mouth. He looked up at his father, a new round of tears rolling down his cheeks. “I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”_ **

**_His father’s expression of concern softened into something that seemed more understanding and he wiped a tear from his face with a brush of his thumb. “Kouyou, there is nothing you could tell us that would warrant an apology like this. Tell us what happened. Let us help you.”_ **

**_“I told him… I told Akira that I was in love with him.” He managed to get out through trembling lips, his shoulders hunched forward. It felt as if his entire body would cave in on itself._ **

**_To their credit, neither of his parents even reacted. No quick inhales of disgust, no backing away as if he was contagious. His father’s large hand palmed the back of his head, pulling him into a hug that left him sobbing into the crisp white material of his shirt. His mother followed, her arms wrapping around him, her head lying on his shoulder. None of them spoke, only the sound of his hushed whimpers were heard for the longest time._ **

**_“I told you, there’s nothing for you to apologize for.” His father broke the silence. “You should never have been scared to tell us. I’m sorry if we made you feel like you couldn’t trust us. What can we do, Kouyou? What do you need?”_ **

**_“I don’t want to go back to school.”_ **

And they hadn’t made him, at least, not back to the school where Akira was. The next week his father had pulled a few strings and got him accepted into a private school a little farther from their home. Somehow being away from Akira and all the kids that had made it their life’s mission to make him miserable, allowed him the space to grow on his own. He made a whole new set of friends, ones that knew his secret and didn’t care. 

It was eye opening even to himself to see just how reclusive he’d become both physically and mentally. With this new support system he came out of that shell, his creativity grew, as well as his self confidence, and he found himself holding his head up, his back straight, and facing people head on instead of cowering in the corner every time someone so much as glanced at him. 

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end eventually. The summer of his junior year his father transferred to a different company and they moved out of his childhood home into an (admittedly lavish) apartment further into the city. The move left him just outside the district of his private school and Kouyou knew before his parents had said a thing that he was being moved back to his old school. They’d talked to him at length about homeschooling being an option if he didn’t want to return to school, but Kouyou had assured them that he would be fine. He wasn’t the same person he’d been three years ago and it was time to prove it. None of his old bullies would even recognize him now and thought the thought of seeing Akira again made his insides feel like warm jelly, he was confident that he could stand the sneers that were sure to be thrown his way. Whatever feelings he had harbored for his former best friend had died the same day their friendship had. 

That being said, Kouyou couldn’t help his mind from wandering and he began to wonder if Akira had changed too. Had he grown out of his homophobic ways? What did he look like now? Would Kouyou even recognize him? 

Rubbing at his eyes he stumbled into the bathroom, flicking on the light before standing in front of the mirror to brush his teeth and wash his face. Kouyou smiled at himself, for once, liking what he saw in his reflection. He’d grown taller; more so than the majority of his classmates, and his face had slimmed out too. His cheekbones were more pronounced, a strong jawline, and full pouty lips. The girls at the private school had raved about his looks, always wanting to touch his face and hair that now easily reached the middle of his back and had been dyed a soft strawberry blonde. His mother had paid good money to keep his hair healthy when he’d decided to start bleaching it. After a run in with a group of senior girls his sophomore year, Kouyou had started applying a bit of makeup to his eyes then his lips, and began styling his hair too. They’d showed him how to look soft, almost feminine, and at first his male friends had been leery, but they grew used to his looks eventually. 

His father hadn’t been all that happy about the makeup, only because he feared it would call unnecessary attention to Kouyou that might result in him getting hurt. Kouyou had assured him that he could handle it and that his classmates were much more understanding than the ones at his old school had been. Knowing that, he probably should have foregone wearing any for his first day back, but he’d already decided weeks ago that he wouldn’t let this school force him back into habits he’d worked so hard to crawl away from. So he applied black eyeliner and a dark purple shadow as well as a clear gloss to his lips. After slipping into his school uniform he loosened the tie a bit and gave himself a once over in the full length mirror. Yeah. He had definitely changed over the years. Changed for the better. 

The only nice thing about the high school he’d been about to attend three years ago was the parking lot. Not many inner city schools had parking, but this one was new enough they had a rather impressive parking garage and Kouyou was thankful for that as he pulled his Mercedes into the parking lot. The car had been a gift for his sixteenth birthday that had come completely unexpected, but he adored it and kept it in perfect condition just in case his parents ever needed to sell it. At least for now he didn’t have to ride the bus and risk running into Akira any sooner. He knew Akira’s mom never had a car so he figured her son didn’t either. Kouyou parked in the senior level of the parking lot and allowed himself the time to take a few deep breaths before climbing out of the car. 

The first thing he noticed was the stares from the other kids. They were obviously trying to figure out who he was. A new kid? Some of the girls whistled at him and Kouyou stood up straighter, flipping his hair back over his shoulder. Even some of the boys were watching him now. He smiled to himself as he walked through the front door of the school. The rush of sound from the main commons area assaulted his ears, forcing his eyes closed for a moment. This wasn’t elementary school or middle school. He was  _ not  _ that person and he refused to let this overwhelm him. His first class was history, third floor. Time to get his ass moving. 

Despite his best efforts to sit to the side of the classroom where he’d be left alone, Kouyou found himself surrounded by a gaggle of girls who immediately began fussing over him. It seemed he was an oddity of a different kind now. 

“Are you new here? I’m Mara. What’s your name?” One of the girls finally asked, crossing one long leg over the other and letting her obviously modified uniform slip up her thigh.  _ Nice try, but you’re barking up the wrong tree.  _

“I am. My name’s K-” He stopped. He didn’t have to tell her his name. At that moment he could be whoever he wanted. “I’m Uruha. It’s nice to meet you. I got transferred here from a private school further north. It’s strange to be in a public school, but you all seem so nice, it makes me less nervous.” He cooed, reaching out to twirl a piece of the girl’s hair around his finger. As expected she all but squealed, a hand moving to cover her painted lips. A little flirting wouldn’t hurt, right? 

“Well, why don’t you come sit with us at lunch Uruha? I wouldn’t want you to end up sitting with the...less desirable students here.” Mara said, cupping her hand around her mouth as if telling him a secret. 

“I’d be honored. Thank you so much for including me Mara.” Kouyou replied, voice dripping like honey and he could have sworn Mara’s pupils had turned heart shape. 

Before she could respond, their teacher came through the door and hushed the class. Kouyou hadn’t noticed the girl who’d taken up the desk behind him when she’d come into the room, but halfway through their lecture, a once folded piece of paper came over his shoulder. He almost didn’t read it; figuring it was an overly dramatic confession from one of Mara’s herd. He was surprised to see just a simple sentence written inside. 

**I’m so happy to see you again Kouyou.**

A flair of panic lit up his chest and he quickly turned around to face the girl behind him. She had long, fawn brown hair and dark eyes. She seemed so familiar to hi- Kouyou’s eyes went wide and let her know he recognized her. 

“Misa?”

“Attention to the front please.” Their teacher spoke and Kouyou turned back around, ducking his head over the paper laying on his open notebook. Once he was sure he was no longer under observation, Kouyou opened the paper again and scribbled out his own note. 

**I go by Uruha now.** (At least, as of a few minutes ago.)  **Please don’t tell anyone who I am. It’s...good to see you too. I’m sorry that I disappeared on you when you were only trying to help me.**

Kouyou handed the paper back to her as inconspicuous as possible, and a handful went by before it came back to him. 

**I don’t blame you for leaving. I was just scared that you...had done something bad to yourself. You seem to be faring better though. What was that with Mara though if you don’t mind me asking? You know she’s just a flake, right?**

He had to cough to hide the chuckle bubbling up his throat. 

**No. No, Misa I’d never do something like that, but I am sorry for worrying you. I’ve had a few years to get to know myself better and it’s helped. Oh I know exactly what kind of flake she is. I was only humoring her. Do you have time after school for coffee? I’d like to catch up with you.**

**Ah, I was hoping you hadn’t become a mindless prep zombie. Of course I’ll make time. Just let me know when and where.**

Her number was written there at the bottom of the page and Kouyou carefully folded the note and put it in his book bag.

______________________________________________________

Walking into the cafeteria brought back memories from middle school; memories he hadn't wanted to think about again. Ever. At least this time he had a place saved for him, even if it was a table full of jocks and flakes. When Mara waved him over Kouyou plastered a fake smile on his face and took his seat amongst the school's elite crowd. He may have not liked them but if faking it for a year was all it took to make it through the rest of high school unscathed, then it was a small price to pay. 

"Thank you so much for saving me a place Mara. It's so nice to be included."

Mara giggled, leaning her shoulder against his own. "Everyone, this is Uruha. He's new here so be nice to him." 

It took everything in his power to not throw up his breakfast as he shook hands and bumped fists with the remaining members of the table. 

"Oh!" Mara spoke up again, lifting her hand to someone else. "Akira! Over here! We saved you a seat!"

Kouyou's head snapped to the side, his jaw going lax as the person in question raised a thumbs up to Mara. 

Akira...had changed too. He was taller, but still not quite Kouyou's height, and lean yet Kouyou could see the outline of muscle through the sleeves of his uniform shirt. His hair was blond now, layered and styled. The eyes were the same dark amber though. The same eyes that used to look at him with so much affection, so much love. Just not the same kind he'd looked at Akira with. They were also the same eyes that had held such disgust as he'd yelled at Kouyou the last time they spoke. His heart leapt in his chest before he could curb it and he hated it. Why after so much time did he still react to his ex-best friend? He wanted to hate him, but knew it was impossible. 

It was so strange to see Akira again. 

Kouyou didn't know how to respond, how to react, when Akira sat down in the empty chair beside him. All he could do was stare. 

"Uruha, this is Akira. He's the captain of our soccer team. Aki, Uruha's new here. I hope it's fine I invited him to sit with us." So Akira made the decisions here huh? 

"No, no. It's fine Mara. There's always room for one more. Where did you come from Uruha? You seem familiar." 

Hearing Akira's voice, as deep as it had become, left shivers racing along his spine. Did he really not remember him? How could he not recognize his own best friend? It hurt more than he was willing to admit. 

"Oh, um. A private school. I doubt we've ever run into each other." He replied, barely able to keep his own words from warbling. 

Akira smiled, reaching out to tuck some strands of hair behind his ear. He even smelled the same. "You're probably right; I would have remembered seeing you."

Was Akira...flirting with him? No. He wouldn't do that. Would he? Or maybe...maybe Akira did recognize him and now he was playing some sort of sick joke. Kouyou pushed his hand away, feeling like he was about to be sick. He needed some air, needed to g- His eyes snapped open as an arm was laid around the back of his chair. 

"Akira." He said, the name feeling foreign on his tongue. "Are you...flirting with me?" 

The other boy smirked and Kouyou could see the blush on his cheeks. It was nice to know some things hadn't changed. His friend was still shy at times. 

"Well I  _ was _ , but now that you're calling me out for it, I'll assume it makes you uncomfortable and stop. I'm sorry, I just got a...vibe, but I can admit when I'm wrong. Anyway, tell me about your other school. Was it a lot different from thi-"

Kouyou's hand moved on its own, and the resounding slap caused Akira's head to snap to the side. A hush fell over the cafeteria, his chair had almost fallen over as he'd suddenly stood up. "Don't you fucking dare. You don't get to sit there and fake flirt with me, pretending you don't know me. I refuse to let you ruin my life again!" He shouted, his chest heaving, lungs burning, before grabbing his bag and  _ calmly _ leaving the cafeteria. He ducked into the nearest bathroom but a hand stopped the door just before it slammed shut. 

"Kouyou! Kou, it's you, right?" Akira asked, squeezing his way into the stall and locking the door behind him. They were so close now, he had no room to run. 

"Does it matter? Just let me pass." He muttered, making a move to shuffle past, but Akira stuck his arm out, trapping him further. 

“No, you just slapped me in front of the whole school. Don’t I at least get to explain myself?”

Kouyou scoffed. “You deserved that, and you know it. Now let me go, unless you plan on throwing more insults in my face. In that case, you can go fuck yourself.”

Akira narrowed his eyes, his jaw clenching. “Kouyou, stop. Please just stop. Let me explain. I’m…” His body relaxed then, his gaze turned to the floor. “I’m begging you. Please let me explain.”

“You didn’t even recognize me. How could you not know me? You were my best friend.”

“Kou, your own mother wouldn’t have recognized you after so long. Do you not even see how different you look? You’ve changed so much, but I have too. I’m sorry that I didn’t recognize you at first. And I’m sorry I hit on you.”   
  


Kouyou’s back stiffened. “Yeah, what the fuck was that, huh? Are you getting off by teasing the ‘fags’ now? You say you’ve changed, but it seems to me you’ve only become more cruel than before.”

“I wasn’t teasing you!” Now he was frustrated, Kouyou could tell, but didn’t care. “A lot has changed since you left. Can’t you at least let me tell you?”

He didn’t want to hear anything Akira had to say. He wanted to stay angry and walk away from him, but with his path currently blocked and his heart begging him to listen, Kouyou stayed rooted in his spot, arms crossed over his chest. “Go on then.”

Akira released a relieved breath, but Kouyou noted that he still wouldn’t drop his hand from its position on the wall. “After you left...even before I found out that you weren’t coming back, just after I left your house, I felt sick. Kouyou, I couldn't believe the things that had come out of my mouth. I wanted to come right back and apologize, but I didn’t think I deserved that. I figured I would spend the rest of the night trying to think of a way to make you understand how sorry I was and come back to your house in the morning, but when I showed up, I couldn’t even make myself knock on the door. I went to Kya’s. I told her what had happened and she was so angry with me, but she didn’t turn me away. We talked and somewhere during that conversation I realized the things I’d said to you… I said them out of fear. I saw the way people at school treated you when they only  _ thought  _ you were gay. I couldn’t handle the idea of anyone finding out that- that I felt the same way for you. I was so scared, but I should have sucked it up and supported you. I should have come clean and we could have faced everyone together. Kya broke up with me, obviously, but she’s been supportive and now everyone knows. It doesn’t make what I did to you okay, but things could be okay now. You’re back and we could be together the way you wanted us to be back then. We can start over. Right?”

Kouyou could only stand there, eyes blinking as his brain tried to make sense of what Akira was saying. In his heart he understood how scared his friend must have been all those years ago. Akira had never been the one to be bullied, but he’d watched it (and tried to prevent it) happen to Kouyou. The realization that he may have been the exact thing that was causing the other kids to abuse his friend must have been terrifying. His reasoning didn’t negate the fact that Akira had wounded him more than any bully could possibly have. Being picked on by others never bothered him because Akira had always been there to support him, but when his friend had become the bully...that wasn’t something Kouyou could handle. He couldn’t just forgive that. 

The small part of his heart that leapt for joy at the very thought of Akira having serious feelings for him was overshadowed by the memory of the look of disgust on the other’s face as he’d turned against him. Disgusting. Wrong. That’s what he’d called him. Even if the words had come from a place of fear, Kouyou couldn’t get them out of his head. 

In the end he didn’t scoff or laugh. His face was blank when he finally spoke. “You have some kind of nerve. You must be incredibly full of yourself to think that I’d want anything to do with you after what you did to me. I’m sorry that you were scared, but so was I. I was scared that you would desert me when you found out and that’s exactly what you did. My  _ best  _ friend. You accused me of being some kind of perverted monster. You said how I felt was wrong, that I was disgusting for it. It’s ironic that you became the very thing you hated. Despite all of that, I’m happy that you were able to tell the truth and come to terms with who you are. Hiding it is unhealthy. I would know. That being said, I have to finish my last year here and I would appreciate it if we had as little contact as possible. We aren’t friends Akira. That part of my life is a distant memory I’d rather not remember. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to get to my next class.”

He was obviously reluctant, but Akira lowered his arm and unlocked the door. “Kouyou. I don’t… I don’t want things to end like this. I don’t want to lose you again.” He whispered as Kouyou slipped past him and it gave him pause. Deep inside he knew the pain he was feeling was from missing his friend, but he couldn’t do this. 

“I’m sorry Aki. I really am, but I can’t do this right now. I’ll...think about what you’ve told me, but you have to give me some space. I’ll come to you when or if I’m ready to try and fix things.” He said, glancing one last time at Akira’s dark eyes. They held such sadness. 

___________________

"I'm glad you were free today. I didn't know if I needed someone to talk to as much as I do now." Kouyou said, sipping at his mint chocolate latte. 

Misa smiled over the rim of her hot cocoa. "I'm just so happy you're back Kou. I have so many questions, but one is more important than the rest." Kouyou motioned for her to continue. "Have you...come to terms with yourself?"

Kouyou tapped his finger on the side of the cup. Years had passed and it was still so hard to admit it. "I have. You were right to begin with. I am- I  _ was  _ in love with Akira, and I am gay. My parents accepted it and helped me move schools after what happened with Akira when I told him. That’s all there is to it.”

Her eyes narrowed. “All there is to it? I saw you smack him in the middle of the cafeteria earlier. What was that all about?”

“He didn’t even recognize me! Then he tried to flirt with me and trapped me in the bathroom spouting some crap about having feelings for me then said we could go back to how we were. Can you believe that?” Kouyou scoffed. 

“Kouyou...are you aware of what happened to Akira after you disappeared?” Misa asked him, her voice flat. 

He rolled his eyes in response. “Yeah, yeah. Apparently he realized that he ripped out my heart because he was afraid to admit he liked me. But I had to move schools and he went on to be captain of the varsity soccer team, so I think I’ll save any sympathy you’re expecting me to find for him.”

“He was hospitalized, Kouyou.”

Kouyou choked on his coffee. “What? What are you talking about?”

Misa leaned forward, arms resting on the table before her. “You weren’t the only one that disappeared Kou. Your parents did too. Akira came to school so miserable. He figured you’d decided to take a few days off school after what he’d said to you, but after that first week he started to panic. He tried to go to your house but your mother told him he wasn’t welcome anymore. She wouldn’t even tell him if you were okay. That’s when he got it in his head that something...terrible had happened. He thought you were  _ dead _ . Akira was convinced that he’d caused your suicide. After that he just stopped coming to school. He wouldn’t eat, wouldn’t sleep. After a couple weeks his mom admitted him to the hospital and he was forced to take care of himself, but it was like something inside him had died. After he was released, he went to your father’s work. Hunted him down and refused to leave until he could talk to your dad. All he wanted to do was apologize. Your father is the one that finally told him that you had moved schools. He told Akira that if you wanted to talk to him, that you would seek him out, but he knew it would never happen. He was so happy that you were okay though. He came back to school and made up for the time he lost. He’s been trying so hard to be a better person Kouyou. He says he has to be better, just in case you ever contact him again.”

Kouyou felt like banging his head on the table. He had no way of knowing Akira had been through all of that. And to think that he had just told him the same lie his father had years ago made his heart throb painfully in his chest. He understood the disappointed, sad look Akira had worn now as he’d shoved past him. He had known Kouyou was lying through his teeth, yet he hadn’t said a word, only allowed him to leave without arguing. 

“Misa… I’m sorry to cut this short, but I think I need to go find my friend.” He said, gathering up his bag and tossing his coffee cup into the trash. 

“He should still be at soccer practice. But Kouyou, please don’t give him false hope. I don’t want to see him fall apart again.” She said, her tone serious despite the smile on her face. 

Kouyou only nodded, making his way out of the small fence that surrounded the cafe’s patio area. Traffic was horrible and he cursed at every red light he was forced to wait at, but eventually Kouyou pulled into the school’s parking lot, not even bothering to lock his car before taking off towards the fields behind the school. To be honest, he wasn’t thinking clearly. He only knew he needed to see Akira, to apologize to him somehow and make things right again. 

Just like Misa had said, he saw Akira out on the field, his blond hair seeming to shine in the afternoon sunlight. He was breathing hard, his hands on his knees as he listened to whatever the coach was saying. They really were in the middle of practice. Kouyou should have stayed by the stands and waited.  _ Should  _ being the operative word here, because next thing he knew, he’d dropped his bag and was running out onto the field, eyes trained on his friend. 

“Aki!” 

Akira turned at the sound of his voice, brows drawn in confusion just before Kouyou collided with him, arms wrapping around his neck. His friend was just so able to keep his footing, holding on to Kouyou around the waist. “Kouyou, what the hell are you doing?!” He whispered harshly against his ear. 

“I’m… Aki I’m sorry. I wanted to be angry. I wanted to hate you because it hurt so damn much, but I don’t want to lose you again. I  _ can’t  _ lose you. We were- We were young and stupid and of course you were scared and I’m so sorry.” Kouyou could feel himself crying against the side of his friend’s neck, his body shaking with the force of his sobs. 

Akira didn’t let go, only rubbed his hands up and down his back to comfort him. “I’m sorry too. More than you’ll ever know.” Kouyou felt a kiss pressed to his temple, brief, but comforting. “We should talk, but this really isn’t the best place or time Kou.”

“Suzuki, what the hell is going on?” The coach asked, annoyance clear in his voice. 

Kouyou let Akira go, turning to face his coach and he bowed his head. “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to interrupt your practice. Please don’t punish Akira.”

There was silence for a long moment, not even an inhale could be heard before the coach spoke again. “You can run, can’t you kid? I saw you hightail it out onto the field. Have you ever played before?”

Kouyou wasn’t sure how to answer. He’d never played after middle school. “Only in middle school, sir. Even then, I wasn’t very good.”

“That’s shit. Sorry coach. He’s lying though. Kouyou’s good. He’s the one that taught me.” What the hell was Akira trying to do?

“Hm. Well, why don’t you come to practice tomorrow and let me see for myself? In the meantime, Akira, take off. It seems this young man needs you more than I do today.”

There was no time for either of them to argue. The coach blew his whistle and the other team members took their places on the field again. Akira grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the field house. Once they were shut inside he finally turned to face him again. 

“You okay? I can’t believe he called you out like that. You don’t have to come with me tomorrow. I promise he won’t be mad.”

“We can...talk about that later.” Kouyou mumbled, taking a seat on one of the benches between the lockers. “I talked to Misa earlier. Aki, I didn’t know that my parents had stopped you from seeing me. I thought that my mom would have at least told your mother what was going on. I’m so sorry that you had to worry so much.”

Akira sighed, kneeling on the concrete floor in front of him. “It’s not your fault. None of this was your fault. I could have chosen to tell you how I felt that day in your room. I could have been there for you and none of this would have happened. I don’t want you putting any of the blame on yourself. You understand me?”

Kouyou nodded as a palm was placed against his cheek. “I understand.” His voice came out thick, lodged somewhere in the back of his throat. “Do- Do you still want to be my friend?”

For a second Kouyou could have sworn a look of disappointment flashed across Akira’s features, but it was hidden just as quickly. Akira smiled though, motioning to the rainbow bracelet on his own wrist. “Best friends for life, Kou. Of course I do. There’s nothing more in this world that I want more than having you back in my life.” 

He swallowed, feeling like his throat was too tight to allow words through. His fingers trembled as he reached out, pressing the tips to Akira’s dampened shirt. All he had to do was lean forward… He watched his friend’s eyes dart to his lips then back to his eyes. Kouyou gave it up, what was the point in pretending he wasn’t still in love? Before he could chicken out, Kouyou closed the small gap between them, pressing his lips to Akira’s and waiting for a reaction. It seemed an eternity before a hand slipped to the back of his head, holding him in place as their heads tilted, deepening the kiss. Every nerve ending in his body lit on fire and Kouyou slid off the bench, pulling himself as close as he could to the warmth of his friend’s body. 

They were both breathless by the time they parted, but Kouyou couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he felt Akira’s hands tangled in his hair. This was too perfect. 

“Why don’t I take a quick shower then we can go back to my house and talk?” 

Kouyou scoffed. “Haven’t we done enough talking?”

Akira chuckled, pressing a light kiss to his lips. “As much as I’d like to say yes, I think we should take the time to get to know each other again. I want to know everything that happened while you were gone.”

“I guess you’re right.” He huffed. “Fine. Go take your shower, then we should go to my place instead. My parents are gone more than they’re home anymore. I’m not suggesting anything, but we could probably use the privacy to talk things out before we go and tell your mom that I’m back.”

“Fair point. Alright. Get off me so I can shower. You’re probably already covered in my sweat.” 

Kouyou giggled, sitting back up on the bench. “Honestly, I don’t mind.”

“Kouyou, stop it. Stop it right now.”

He was all out laughing as Akira disappeared into the showers. For the first time in years his heart felt light, relieved. He could breathe properly and he  _ could not  _ keep the smile off his face. 


End file.
